Jump to content
NEurope
Kotey

Wii Price: Whose side is Matt on anyway?

Recommended Posts

Take a look at this and tell me what you think of this guy:

 

Matt Casamassina, IGN Wii: Nintendo's announcement that Wii "will not exceed $250" was decidedly cryptic and no doubt intentionally vague. The company's executives have repeatedly stated that Wii will not be as expensive as either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, but it's one thing to say that and it's another thing entirely to throw out some numbers of your own. I think that was the driving factor behind today's release and I wonder if Wii might still ship for a retail price in the $199 range.

 

Frankly, I don't think $250 is what consumers consider the mainstream and clearly the Wii is targeting the real mainstream this time around. People who don't normally play games will probably think twice about spending $250 to suddenly jump into the gaming arena and if Nintendo really is considering this price for Wii, I think it needs to reconsider.

 

As a hardcore gamer, I tend to associate ballooning console prices with more powerful technology. I look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and see that both are employing cutting-edge tech, from significantly faster processors to dramatically increased RAM, in order to render flashy high-definition graphics, among other things. This is something that I can wrap my mind around and, although both systems are expensive, I can at least understand why.

 

 

I cannot, on the other hand, understand a price tag of $250 for Wii. The console delivers no major graphic leaps. It is essentially a GameCube 1.5 in terms of horsepower, and let's be honest: Nintendo is making a killing by selling GCN for $99 in this day and age. If Wii's horsepower is comparable to five-year-old tech, which today retails for about $100 smackers, that means gamers would be spending upward of $150 extra for an innovative new controller.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love the Wii controller and think it has the potential to really change and in some cases improve games. Look at Super Mario Galaxy, which was, by the way, my Game of E3. It was intuitive and completely engaging. The Wii controller clearly will be spectacular. That noted, it is in the end a peripheral and one that was originally designed for GameCube, if development sources are to be believed. Asking me to pay $150 for a peripheral -- even a great one -- is asking a lot.

 

Let's pretend that the guts of the machine did add up and that a $250 price point was a deal. Nintendo keeps saying that it wants the non-gamer. How is it going to get them with this price point? The real mainstream sweet spot is not $250 and, for that matter, not $200, either. GameCube is selling to the mainstream now at the sub-$100 mark. This is the audience the Big N seeks and I don't think many will care to shell out $250 bones for any videogame system, let alone one whose graphics are inferior to the others.

 

At $200, Nintendo can at least say that Wii is $100 cheaper than any other console. At $250, the price gap between it and the bare-bones Xbox 360 is a mere $50 bucks and Microsoft has a year headstart with its system, not to mention a library five times as large.

 

If Wii doesn't sell for $200 or less, I'm going to be disappointed, and I don't think I'll be the only one.

 

 

Can you believe the nerve of this bloke?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree with him. So far Wii is a Gamecube with a new controller. We don't know yet about the real horsepower but the first batch of games indicate that they are in the range of the Gamecube.

 

 

149.90€ would be a attractive price tag - I will only pay 200€ at launch if the bundle has more than one controller + addon.

 

PS3 price seems hight but the research Sony and IBM but into it is tremendous. RAM, Cell, Bluray, ... those things are expensive - so far I can't think of anything which is expensive in the Wii.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

To be fair, Matt doesnt usually come out with negative comments like that against Nintendo. But this time he went too far....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

He is quite rich (and has all this stuff like a hdtv and a 360 and all the old consoles with a billion games) and he is moaning about a possible $250 (which he knows will probs be about $199). I dont get this guy. It would seriously suit his opinions better if you joined IGN 360.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree with Matt.

 

He's right - if the Wii ships for $250 then Nintendo are being foolish. Why would you spend $250 on a Wii when you could buy a 360 for $300.

 

Come on Nintendo.........blow us all out of the water with the price......come on....COME ON I SAID!!!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
He is quite rich (and has all this stuff like a hdtv and a 360 and all the old consoles with a billion games) and he is moaning about a possible $250 (which he knows will probs be about $199). I dont get this guy. It would seriously suit his opinions better if you joined IGN 360.

 

No real gamer has a problem to spend 250€ on a console, or 400€ or even 600€ because he knows what he wants and gets for his money. Nintendo aims at casual gamers and those don't read sites about consoles, look what they need, what games are available - they look for a present or just follow an impulse but 200-250€ is quite a lot to "simply" buy something.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Leave the guy alone, he's just stating his opinions. As for which side he's on, don't be so sad. Why does there have to be sides.

 

Price-wise, i'd be happy at £200. I think its worth it. Personally I think they're going to go down to £150.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, first of all, think of how much it costs to originally develop what's in the Wii. The designing for the controller/console, built it software (Virtual console, controller "drivers") etc. They've atleast got to get payback for that when selling the console. It's a pretty crappy arguament Matt has there to be honest.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i don't really see whats so wrong with whats he's saying. $250 is too high when you think of the inevitable 360 price drop

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I understand where he's coming from but he's so superficial on things.

 

Anyway, I know I would be dissappointed with $250. I think that's too much.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I always agreed with that guy. He isn't just right this time though. He is TOTALLY and Undeniably right. 150 Dollars for a controller? As much as i love it its too much. I will buy Wii but i love Nintendo. Other people dont know it so thry won't. Too much. Once again Matt is right.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
No real gamer has a problem to spend 250€ on a console, or 400€ or even 600€ because he knows what he wants and gets for his money. Nintendo aims at casual gamers and those don't read sites about consoles, look what they need, what games are available - they look for a present or just follow an impulse but 200-250€ is quite a lot to "simply" buy something.

 

Yes, but if you compare the prices with the other consoles it's still a lot more cheeper.

 

Matt is right in when it comes to the seperate materials price, but the price of a well conceived machine with innovative technology is higher than just a bunch of cpus and rams bought at a store.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

What's wrong is that people are taking this "Gamecube Turbo!" to extremes. He doesn't know wha't inside the console eiter. Saying it's 5 yr old tech is absurd at best, since it's something that's being developed by IBM and ATI for years. Making things small, quiet and not hot is also an advancement in technology. Let's not forget the wi fi capabilities, accelarometers, gyroscopes and infrared triangulation. Wii is not a GC or a XBOX it's far more powerful and when developers take advantage of it you'll see beautful games that weren't possible on GC with it's RAM, diskspace and processing power. It's also kind of stupid comparing it to the cheapest 360 with no wireless controller and memory storage. I don't see why people insist on that close minded and idiotic line of thought that Wii is a NES and has no advanced technology. I'm starting to get annoyed.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wii isn't just a cube with a new controller though.There is a lot more new technology than the cube.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My main problem with Matt's statements is that he's making a lot of assumptions. The Xbox 360 Core Bundle will only be $50 more expensive than a $250-priced Wii if and only if Microsoft cuts the price of the Xbox 360 by a whopping $100!!!

Now does he think they would do such a thing when they have the potential to shift so many units of the Xbox 360 console this Christmas with so many new games coming out for it? I should think not.

$250 for a Wii is a fair price if you bear in mind that Nintendo also incurred a large amount of R & D costs in creating the Wii, just as Sony and Microsoft incurred huge costs in creating their consoles. And how dare he refer to the Wii as "Gamecube 1.5"??? This man is such a hypocrite! And an uninformed one at that!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

And for the core 360 you also need to buy some kind of mem card or storage.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
What's wrong is that people are taking this "Gamecube Turbo!" to extremes. He doesn't know wha't inside the console eiter. Saying it's 5 yr old tech is absurd at best, since it's something that's being developed by IBM and ATI for years. Making things small, quiet and not hot is also an advancement in technology. Let's not forget the wi fi capabilities, accelarometers, gyroscopes and infrared triangulation. Wii is not a GC or a XBOX it's far more powerful and when developers take advantage of it you'll see beautful games that weren't possible on GC with it's RAM, diskspace and processing power. It's also kind of stupid comparing it to the cheapest 360 with no wireless controller and memory storage. I don't see why people insist on that close minded and idiotic line of thought that Wii is a NES and has no advanced technology. I'm starting to get annoyed.

 

We know quite a lot about the Wii:

 

512MB Flash Memory versus 20 and 60GB HDDs

 

Single Core versus Multicore Architecture

 

GPU without the Power to render HD versus GPUs which can render HD

 

DVD drive versus HD-DVD/Bluray

 

It is all a matter of how much you want to spend on something.

 

 

Nintendo went for small and quiet - my notebook is small and quiet but it plays games like Battlefield 2, Hitman: Blood Money, Splinter Cell 3 @ 1440x900 and all settings on high. Can Nintendo do that? It is a matter of how much money someone wants to spend. Nintendo shifted the focus from US (core gamers) to THEM (casual gamers) - if the Wii costs 250€ including 1 controller + nunchuck I feel I don't get enough for my money.

 

I am curious what happens if the 360 core drops to 200 and the premium to 300€. If I look at a 360 premium for 399 I have the feeling I get a lot more for my money. Furthermore Nintendo will make much money with the Virtual Console and for those they have nothing to pay. Indy coders did emulators which work perfect, Nintendo has the ROM images all they have to do is offer them and get money and believe me prices will be expensive. Remember 20€ for a NES game on a cartdrige ...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

because the play station is so expensive, microsoft won't drop their prices and i suppose nintendo will feel under less pressure.

 

However, I totally agree with Matts comments. Yes its innovative in many ways but its going to be dirt cheap to manufacture.

 

I'm more interested in teh cost of games

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

DVD drive versus HD-DVD/Bluray

 

 

Wow! My friends 360 has HD-DVD? Duh...

 

Don't really care what Matt has to say anymore. His opinion comes from a perspective that is totally unlike mine so it's completely invalid. Not to mention that he has been blending opinion with fact quite a lot lately.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Wow! My friends 360 has HD-DVD? Duh...

 

And don't make comments about $250 being nothing for gamers because this device isn't aimed at people like you and me (btw I still find £150 a blow even as a serious gamer). I don't think that £200 for instance, is a particularly inclusive price.

 

He could upgrade soon if he likes to and a HD-DVD drive for under 200$ is a bargain in my eyes.

 

250€ is not a great price for NON GAMERS and in my eyes the difference in raw power between the Gamecube and the Wii is not as drastic as it is with the Playstation 2 and the PS3 or the Xbox and the 360. Yes a 360 is more expensive than the Wii but you also get a lot more. If it is only about gameplay Nintendos price is unbeatable - even at 250€ I value the innovation more than the leap in graphics.

 

Wii: DVD drive, 512MB Flash memory, wireless controller, GPU under 300MHz, CPU under 2GHz = 200-250€

 

360: DVD drive, 20GB HDD, wireless controller, GPU 500MHz R500, CPU 3 cores with 3.2GHz = 400

 

 

The Wii specifications are optimistic because I seriously doubt the CPU will be over 1GHz but still they are worth 250€ if you only value gameplay and the innovation the controller brings with it. If you equally "like" graphics and gameply I say that you have a better deal with the 360. The components of the Wii surely don't justify a price over 200€ at all because so far they may be small and quiet but not really as powerfull as I expected. Now I really wish the 2 - 3 times more powerfull than the Cube statement would be true because that would be a huge leap compared to RedSteel, Tony Hawks Skateboarding, NecroNesia, ...

 

 

I am buying a Wii at launch even if it sells for 300€ just to make things clear but please allow me to feel ripped of by a high price if I regard it as one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

512 is probably all you need for your downloads and saves and with a pen or SD you won't need to worry about anythings else. If you feel you get more bang for your cash with a PS3 and XBOX360 just because they have HD then buy them and stop whining. Nintendo is selling something different and is moving on another direction, yet you still compare them to others and expect them to do the same. You want a new next gen console to sell for 150$? Yeah you're clearly in right path making people think it's some little toy and not making any profit. Real smart. They're the ones who know at what price point they need to sell in order to make money not us.

Your comparission with PCs is also a bit flawed, consoles have nothing to do with PCs. Like I said you people still think Wii is a GC, when it's clearly not.

I can see the average mom now: "OH LOOK! It's XBOX360! It has a 20 GB(or wtvr) hard drive, multicore processor and High Definition capable of output in 720p. Awesome, just what I wanted for my son!"

Stop comparing apples to oranges, Nintendo strayed off the normal path and you still don't understand that! I don't care if PS3 has an amazing cell processor and does what a PC does, I care about games. And right now Nintendo gives gaming the chance to jump out of the pool and into the ocean. Does that affect my decision as a core gamer? Not really, what matter to me is that someone is making games different from the snore fest of endless clones and actually trying to make something different. You put so much importance and thought to all those big numbers and features that you care more about them than the actual game experience. It's like you'd buy a XBOX 360 just because of its hardware and be happy without any games, because, hey it's very powerfull. Wow awesome. And guess what? A lot of people have i pods. Yeah that's right, i pod, you know that mp3 player that costs 300$ dollars and is inferior to a lot of mp3 players technologically and in features. And what about PS2? It sold for 500€, 300€ and 200€ for a long time, people still bought it.

Right now Nintendo is taking on a very demanding strategy and need to think on a lot of fronts, but they are the ones that can crunch the numbers because they have solid info to back them up. And 360 down to 200€ in a recent future? *looks towards 4/5 year old XBOX at 150€*. Yeah right. And about the VC games? Do you know that packaging and distributing games costs money? Incredible I know. And even more, stores and distributors need to make money too! Gasp! Online those costs just vanish. Of course that I wouldn't be surprised if the games were expensive, but all the leaks and hints so far lead to reasonably priced games.

Don't get me wrong, I'll get a Wii at launch and I think 200€ could be the ideal price point with dynamic game pricing in games and good marketing on every front. I'll also get a 360 when it's cheaper because it looks promising in the future. But all this reasoning based on stupid speculation and early games is irritating.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I dont think nintendo would release wii for $250, i think $200 is a lot more likely anyway. $200 is like £130, the same price as gcn when it was released, and that seems pretty mainstream in my opinion, and i also think $250 would be an acceptable price if they had to release it for that (people are forgetting that wii is next gen and is new technology, it just seems old when compared to ps3/360).

 

Besides nintendo are still considering what to package with the wii before giving a pricepoint. It could be $250 but have included the nunchuck, VC controller, and lightgun attachments all packaged or maybe even a free demo of warioware (like they did with hunters with ds).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

for something that is 2-3 more powerful than a gamecube, yet smaller than 3 stacked DVD cases... $250 is a god price, ur also forgetting, CAPPED at £250

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
512 is probably all you need for your downloads and saves and with a pen or SD you won't need to worry about anythings else.

 

Sure that works but I have to buy them by myself. Also the possibility of demos, videos is close to zero because their is not enough space. A bad point in my eyes. Also this means independent/smaller developers can't offer downloadable games aswell

 

If you feel you get more bang for your cash with a PS3 and XBOX360 just because they have HD then buy them and stop whining. Nintendo is selling something different and is moving on another direction, yet you still compare them to others and expect them to do the same. You want a new next gen console to sell for 150$? Yeah you're clearly in right path making people think it's some little toy and not making any profit. Real smart. They're the ones who know at what price point they need to sell in order to make money not us.

 

I never expected a powerfull, innovative console for 150€ but I feel that Nintendo leaves out an important aspect of innovation which is simply horsepower.

 

 

 

For the rest you write I understand your point of view but just to make it clear. Package/Manual/Retail are not more than 10€ out of every game and so Nintendo earns 10€ for each sold game which is a quite good margin for them when you look at the NES games. I am sure Nintendo will sell the VC games for a rather high price just because they want to make money. Nintendo is a healthy and rather rich company and still they are not confident enough to sell their console for a loss to attract more customers. They are playing it safe like usual and the customer has to take the bitter pill once again. Nintendo tries to improve the way we play games and on the other hand they stop to care about graphics. I want to play a game with excellent graphics and great gameplay - Super Mario Galaxy offers that. Can you tell me other games? Or games that really show true innovation? Metroid Prime 3 looks like a solid sequel but nothing great. Of course it is the same with MS and Sony games but I as a fanboy expect more from Nintendo but so far they did not deliever.

 

 

This is my last post because it seems people are getting more and more angry and it seems I could be the cause of that:

 

 

My personal Wii bundle:

 

 

Wii, 2 controllers + 1 nunchuck + 1 classic shell, Wii Sports, Opera and 2 free VC downloads (either 1 N64 game or 2 SNES/NES).

 

Price: 250€

 

Why? Because this bundle could convince people about all the new features the Wii offers. They can play together with a new controller, browse the Internet, play retro games.

 

If that happens I am one happy guy - if it is less for the same price I obviously don't understand Nintendos philosophy!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

×